It's all in the hands of the moderators, Joe was a good moderator he let things roll(even things he disagreed with) until personal abuse replaced discussion, then he started removing posts and explaining why he removed them.

Some of the moderators have strong views on WHAT can be discussed, not the manner of the discussion. This is never a positive in internet forums.....moderators need to make their point(if they feel they must) then step back and let civil discussion continue.
Regarding moderation, they should guard against bullying, libel, and abuse.....and never get so involved that they begin to take sides on the subject matter.
There are some posters who are never abusive, but are labelled as troublemakers due to their views on political and social matters, with which a majority of the membership disagree.

On an internet forum, disagreement is positive, as an atheist I learned a lot from the views of Pete, Mr McGrath, DMcG, Joe and others,
I am still not a believer, but I have started thinking seriously about what motivates these good people and how a spiritual dimension in ones life is an absolute necessity.